Wallingford Museum

About the museum

Wallingford Museum is housed in Flint House on the High Street, a Grade II listed medieval hall house. An earlier small museum was set up in the 1920s by the bank manager R. R. Hutchinson in the town's free library and closed when he moved away in the 1930s. The Wallingford Historical and Archaeological Society was founded in 1974 and, in 1977, the Town Council agreed to lease the vacant Flint House, so that its upper floors could become a museum run by a separate charitable trust.

Volunteers did most of the conversion work, which uncovered 15th-century timber-work, and a fire in the neighbouring Flint Cottage in May 1980 destroyed the roof space but spared the flint facade and timber frame. The museum opened to the public on 18 April 1981. Later refurbishments added the Hutchinson Room and the Norreys Room, and in 2004 to 2005 the museum leased the whole building and moved its main entrance to the High Street.

The Daphne Baker Building, a timber building for collections and archaeology paid for by a bequest, was added in 2018 to 2019 and made room for an accessible toilet and a meeting room. Today the displays cover Wallingford Castle, local finds, the town's story from the Roman period, room sets of 17th- to 20th-century life and the writer Agatha Christie, who lived in the town. The museum is run entirely by volunteers.

Highlights

• The Wallingford Story, a walk through time from the Romans to the 16th century
• Wallingford Castle: The Inside Story with a scale model
• At Home with the Queen of Crime, about Agatha Christie's years in Wallingford
• Victorian-style shop, pub, workshop and church room sets
• Hands-on archaeology sandpits and smelly-feely drawers

Permanent exhibitions

• The Wallingford Story – A walk through the town's history from the Roman period to the 16th century, including Alfred's burh, the Norman Conquest, the castle and the Black Death.
• Wallingford Castle: The Inside Story – Everyday life in the royal castle, shown with translated medieval documents, illustrations and a scale model of the castle and part of the town.
• At Home with the Queen of Crime – Agatha Christie's life at Winterbrook House in Wallingford, with letters, local memories and a display linked to Midsomer Murders.

Founded

1978

Operated by

Wallingford Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

One adult ticket of £6 gives unlimited entry for the whole season. Donations are welcome in person or online.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The ground floor has flat-floor access, but the upper galleries are reached by stairs and may not be possible for visitors who find stairs difficult because of the historic building. Visitors who cannot climb the stairs can ask for free entry and a video of the permanent Wallingford Story display. There is an accessible unisex toilet.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The museum describes itself as family friendly. Children are free with an adult, and hands-on features include archaeology sandpits and smelly-feely drawers. Free drop-in activities such as quizzes and colouring sheets run in school holidays, with normal admission still charged; a Wallingford Castle Adventure is listed as an event.

Getting there & parking

Wallingford is on the A329 and the A3140; it is about 20 minutes by car from Oxford, 15 from Henley and 30 from Reading.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Museum shop. There is no cafe in the museum, but local cafes are 5 to 10 minutes' walk away.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit